No surprises as candidate filings pass

King County’s weeklong candidate filing period ended May 17 without any local surprises.

Three City Council positions are up for election in November, but only one seat elicited more than one candidate.

John Drescher and Mark Greene both filed to run for Position 6 on the council. Councilman Bill Erxleben currently occupies the seat but said earlier this year that he would not file for re-election.

Greene announced his candidacy at the end of December on his blog, but made it official with a press release in mid-April. He is a legal assistant and the founder of Democracy in Election Process, an organization that assists citizens with governmental and civic affairs.

Drescher announced his intentions April 22. He was appointed to the Newcastle Planning Commission in 2010 and currently serves as the advisory board’s chairman. Drescher works at TechNet Northwest, where he is the executive director.

Incumbents John Dulcich and Rich Crispo will each run unopposed to retain their positions on the council.

In local school board races, both Newcastle representatives filed for re-election and will do so unchallenged. Marnie Maraldo represents Newcastle on the Issaquah School Board, while Pam Teal does the same for the Renton School Board.

Sheriff John Urquhart is uncontested in his run for re-election as is Richard D. Anderson, a commissioner with the Coal Creek Utility District.

While most of the local contests failed to attract enough challengers to warrant a primary election, races for the King County Council District 9 position and the King County Executive will require one.

County Council District 9 incumbent Reagan Dunn will face two challengers in his search for another term. Kristina Macomber, of Black Diamond, and Shari Song, of Newcastle, have filed to run for the position against him. The District 9 seat represents Newcastle, areas south of Issaquah and Southeast King County.

County Executive Dow Constantine has drawn three opponents, but political observers do not expect any of them to pose a serious challenge.

The primary election will be held Aug. 6, while the general election takes place Nov. 5.